Lillian Tørlen

A.D.O.

7 November - 22 December 2019

Tørlen’s main field of work is site-specific, where she is inspired by the environment where the work will exist. Whilst usually making pieces that directly interact or relate to an architectural and interior surrounding, this time, for the dining experience Experimental Gastronomy, she seized the opportunity to include people and utility as parameters and defining aspects into the pieces. The resulting serving platters are collected in a series called A.D.O; Annoyingly Dependent Objects, and they need to be propped up by other objects in order to function optimally.

As she often has a point of departure in human psychology and how we relate to our surroundings, this time she’s reflected around function and dependency. Both in how the ceramic and wood pieces relate to each other, as well as the relationship between individuals and the objects in the handling of them. The plates and bowls are glazed stoneware, whilst the supporting pieces are made out of sourced wooden scraps. Some pieces of wood are kept almost as found, whilst others are shaped and adapted to fit. What they have in common is that they do not have an intended use in themselves, apart from serving as an assistance to the ceramic pieces.

Lillian Tørlen (b. 1975, Ålesund) lives and works in Oslo, Norway. She has an MFA from the National Academy of the Arts in Oslo and a BA from Central St Martins College of Art and Design in London. She has participated extensively in projects and exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Among them, most recently, Experimental Gastronomy by Steinbeisser, Østlandsutstillingen, Vestlandsutstillingen, KUBE, Nordnorsk Kunstnersenter, Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum, Chart Design Fair and Patrick Parrish New York.